Competency-Based Interview (CBI) Skills Refresher Training

CEB was invited to provide refresher training on Competency-based Interview Skills on 6 July 2017. I was one of participants and would like to summarize some key points in the training course.  Mr. Alexander Ng (Team Leader & Senior Consultant, CEB Talent Assessment) was our trainer.  Firstly, Mr. Alexander Ng briefed the course content included “Defining Assessment Criteria”, “Measuring Competencies”, “Competency-based Interview (CBI) Basics”, “CBI Questioning Techniques”, “The ORCE Process” and “Effective Closing”. 

 “Defining Assessment Criteria” is separated into two competencies.  One is Core Competencies and Functional Competencies.  In order to realize your good, you should define the critical competencies that characterize success, then measure these accurately.  Firstly, you need a job analysis included existing job descriptions, structured questionnaires, observation, first-hand experience and interviews/focus groups; as well as, subject matter experts included the job-holder, job-holder’s manager, senior stakeholders and customers.

Job analysis interview questions examples were discussed.

Then Mr. Ng explained how to measure competencies.  There are three elements of capturing a comprehensive view of each candidate and they are Results, Potential and Behaviour. Traditionally, Results are focused during interview.  But Competency-based Interview is focused on Behaviour.

Competency Based Interview (CBI) is a structured series of questions aimed at eliciting information on specific job related criteria.  Using Proactively Identify AFI as example, the question would be “Tell me about a situation where you have initiated action to improve the effectiveness of existing business operation.”

The workflow of planning competency based interviews was demonstrated from Job Analysis to ID of Competencies to Creation/Selection of Interview Questions to Observe & Record at Interview and then to Evaluate CBI Responses.

Typical CBI Structure questioning skill was discussed as following diagram.  Then Mr. Ng introduced the SBO Approach.  These behavior description questions are designed to assess:

-          Situation: what exactly was going on?     (What was the situation?)

-          Behaviour: specifically, what did the candidate do?        (What did you do?)

-          Outcome: what were the results of the candidate’s behavior? (What was the result?)

CBI Questioning technique:

Don’t ask – Closed Questions, Leading Questions, Multiple Choice, Double Questions and Hypothetical Questions

Do ask – Open Questions, Closed Questions for clarification only, Single Questions and Short Questions.

After that Mr. Ng introduced the ORCE Process.

i)                    Observing – what they do / say, body language, evaluations, judgments, etc.

ii)                  Recording – taking notes legible and short descriptive quotes, actual behaviors/observations, all of the examples and non-verbal behaviors

iii)                Classifying – id relevant competencies and +ve/-ve indicator of behavior

iv)                Evaluating – rating scale (e.g. 1 to 5)

At the end, Mr. Ng described the effective closing with realistic and balanced view.

Reference:

20170427: Innovative Thinking & Problem Solving Workshop - https://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2017/04/innovative-thinking-problem-solving.html

20150714: Team Synergy and Creative Problem Solving Workshop - https://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2015/07/team-synergy-and-creative-problem.html

20150203: Innovative Thinking Workshop – Thinkertoys - http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2015/02/hkstp-innovative-thinking-workshop.html